Raven Trade Bracelet

$185.00

Item No. N716B-WRP

Qty:

So-called trade bracelets have been made in Seattle since the early 1900's, and sold primarily to the coastal tribes. They are often used as potlatch gifts. The early patterns tended to be narrow, with the design on the terminals. Recent designs tend to be wider, with the design centered on the wide middle of the bracelet. Raven is shown on this sterling silver bracelet designed by Bill Wilson, a Tlingit raised in Hoonah, Alaska. The bracelet is struck from the original die made in the early 1900's, part of our collection of Trade Bracelets and Rings. The Raven Trade Bracelet has a devolved length of 8 inches and is shaped to wrap easily around your wrist. Made in USA.

So-called trade bracelets have been made in Seattle since the early 1900's, and sold primarily to the coastal tribes. They are often used as potlatch gifts. The early patterns tended to be narrow, with the design on the terminals. Recent designs tend to be wider, with the design centered on the wide middle of the bracelet. Raven is shown on this sterling silver bracelet designed by Bill Wilson, a Tlingit raised in Hoonah, Alaska. The bracelet is struck from the original die made in the early 1900's, part of our collection of Trade Bracelets and Rings. The Raven Trade Bracelet has a devolved length of 8 inches and is shaped to wrap easily around your wrist. Made in USA.

The most important of all creatures to the Northwest coast Indian peoples was the Raven. He took many forms to many peoples -- the Transformer, the cultural hero, the trickster, the Big Man. Full of magical powers, the Raven could transform himself into anything. He put the sun in the sky, the fish in the sea, the salmon into the rivers. His antics were often motivated by greed, and he loved to tease, to cheat, to woo, and to trick.

In the early 1900's Mayer Brothers, a jewelry manufacturer in Seattle, set up to produce silver bracelets to sell to the Indians along the Pacific Northwest coast, using designs from Tlingit carvers. These trade bracelets became favored items to be given away at potlaches.

Production has continued to this day under a succession of manufacturing companies here in the Northwest, using both modern designs and the designs from the early 1900's, with rings, earrings and pendants as well as the traditional bracelets added to the line. The primary market continues to be in Alaska, and the jewelry is sold to both Indians and tourists. The Indians buy mainly the traditional designs, with the most popular bracelet still being the Lovebirds.

We are pleased to offer a range of trade bracelets and matching rings designed by Bill Wilson, a Tlingit raised in Hoonah, Alaska. The bracelets are struck from the original dies made in the early 1900's for trade with the Indians of the Pacific Northwest. Typical of the early patterns, the bracelets are relatively narrow, with the design on the terminals. The bracelets and rings are available in sterling silver. The rings are also available in 14 kt. gold.